New England Patriots Links 4/05/12 - Belichick Only Missed One Year of Draft Day Trading

The New England Patriots official Draft release has some interesting numbers.

0

The number of draft day trades the Patriots made in 2004. It is the only year in the Bill Belichick era that New England has not engaged in any draft-day trades.

2

The number of times in the Bill Belichick era the Patriots have drafted back-to-back players from the same school (2002: Rohan Davey and Jarvis Green, LSU; 2010: Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes, Florida).

2

The number of offensive players drafted by the Patriots in the first round on the current roster (2005, Logan Mankins; 2011, Nate Solder).

3

The number of defensive players drafted by the Patriots in the first round on the current roster (2004: Vince Wilfork; 2008: Jerod Mayo; 2010: Devin McCourty).

3

The number of times the Patriots drafted at least two players in the first and second round of the same draft (1998, 1982 and 1977).

13

The number of times since 2000 that New England has traded down in draft-day exchanges (See next page for trade breakdowns).

15

The number of times since 2000 that New England has traded up in draft-day exchanges (See next page for trade breakdowns).

18

The number of times since 2000 that New England has made draft-day trades involving players and/or future draft considerations (See next page for trade breakdowns).

18

The number of draft-day trades New England has made combined in the previous three drafts (2009-2011), with seven in 2009 and 2010 and four in 2011.

46

The number of draft-day trades by Bill Belichick in his 12 drafts with the Patriots. 1999 The last time New England made two first round selections - Nos. 17 and 28.

TEAM TALK

• Andy Hart gives us a rundown of the team's Draft-day trades in the Bill Belichick era.
• Patriots Today - Welker on uniforms, franchise tag. (3 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Draft Preview: Offensive Tackles. (2.56 min. video)
• Draft Prospect Review: Offensive Line. (12.12 min. program)

LOCAL LINKS

• Shalise Manza Young gives her take on the Patriots' 2012 preseason opponents.
• Christopher Price discusses the newly-released preseason schedule for the Patriots, and the possibility of joint training camp practices again.
• Mike Rodak looks at some of the recent players picked at the 62nd spot to give us a feel for the type of player the Patriots might draft with that pick.
• Mike Reiss notes Josh McDaniels' official title is offensive coordinator/quarterbacks - the same title he held before leaving in 2009, and the same title Bill O'Brien held in 2011.
• Karen Guregian reports free agent DE Luis Castillo, who visited the Pats last month, opts to remain in San Diego.
• Christopher Price checks out the NFL schedule for the next five months.
• Karen Guregian notes Wes Welker warns Rob Gronkowski to be careful what you wish for in the Madden cover wars.
• The Sports Tonight crew is joined by Chris Gasper to discuss what would be the best move for Welker to make in regards to his contract. (1.30 min. video)
• Mark Farinella provides a history of the Patriots uniforms and the changes they've gone through over the years.
• Mary Paoletti uses a new Pro Football Focus statistic, average depth of target, to look at where Patriots' receivers are on the field when targeted.
• Mike Reiss analyzes the mock draft selections from Mel Kiper Jr.: Patriots pick DE/OLB Shea McClellin (Boise State) and DL Derek Wolfe (Cincinnati).
• Tom E. Curran rounds up a plethora of mock draft selections from various sites around the web to see who the experts say the Patriots will select in the first round.
• WEEI mocks the draft for the 4th time. Patriots select DE Whitney Mercilus (Illinois) and S Harrison Smith (Notre Dame).
• Jeff Howe issues his Mock Draft 7.0. Patriots select S Mark Barron (Alabama) and DT Jerel Worthy (Michigan State).
• Mike Reiss notes Boise State OLB/DE Shea McClellin models himself after Mike Vrabel, and says no deal is imminent for Dan Koppen in Tennessee.
• Tristan Govignon (COUPBoston.com) The Hingham home of Bill Belichick and Linda Holliday is featured in the debut issue of this online magazine.

NATIONAL NEWS

• James Walker (ESPN) Thoughts on AFC East preseason schedules.
• Ian Rapoport (NFL.com) Most compelling matchups of the preseason.
• Alex Marvez (Fox Sports) Top 10 NFL preseason games.
• Clifton Brown (Sporting News) Tebow vs. Sanchez? Just one of plentiful QB controversies.
• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) James Sanders says he's signing with the Cardinals.
• John Supinie (Journal Star) Illinois football banking on fresh start. Defensive coordinator Tim Banks "wants to take the New England Patriots' mindset."
• Don Banks (SI) 2012 NFL Mock Draft 4.0. Patriots select DE Chandler Jones (Syracuse) and DT Kendall Reyes (Connecticut)
• James Walker (ESPN) AFC East second-round mock. Patriots select C Peter Konz (Wisconsin) at 48, and S Brandon Taylor (LSU) at 62.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Before final game, Gregg Williams urged Saints to injure 49ers.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Williams audio likely dooms Saints appeals.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL not commenting on whether it was aware of Williams audio.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Reinstatement suddenly becomes a tougher task for Gregg Williams.
• Jack Bechta (Nat'l Football Post) Are college players' bodies being abused?